[chatter4]

“1. What was the code for no answer provided?”
There was no code for that in 1961.

“2. What happened in the case where the parent(s) couldn’t provide an answer?”
What parent would not know his own race?

“If one were to assume that Sr. was “self” identified as “African”:
1. Would the code have really been “other nonwhite?” to describe a Black who was from Africa?”
Yes, the code would have been 9 other nonwhite.

“What, then would be the code to describe an “African” who was white?”
What white person would list his race as African?

“2. Would the document have been coded to indicate Black or Negro (or similar terminology from the period)?”
According to the instructions in the manual such a person would have been coded as 2 only if his birth place was within the United States. Persons claiming to be black that were born outside of the United States were coded as 9 other nonwhite.

[edge919]

Unfortunately this doesn't hold up as true. Vital statistics were collected and classified in conjunction with census methodology. There was no distinction between Negroes born in the United States and those born outside of the United States. IOW, there would have been no reason to classify someone as "other nonwhite" simply because they were not born in the United States. We know this because it has been done this way for years. Barack Sr., if he identified himself as African, would have been classified as Negro. That code number should have been a 2, not a 9.

link to Foreign Born population chart by sex and race